Staple having oppositely inclined knife edge tips



March 15, 1960 G. J. VEENENDA'AL 2,928,142

STAPLE HAVING OPPOSITELY INCLINED KNIFE EDGE TIPS Filed March 4, 1954 United States Patent STAPLE HAVING OPPOSITELY INCLINED KNIFE EDGE TIPS George J. Veenendaal, Chicago, Ill., assig'nor to Spotnails,

1 Inc., Evanston, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application March 4, 1954,.Serial No. 414,142 4 Claims. to]. 20-4 The present invention relates to improvements in staples and more particularly'concerns staplesof fairly heavy gauge adapted for use in attaching members to wooden supports and the like. i

In attaching tempered hardboard, that is, panels of densely compacted substantially fused-cellulose fibers, to a supporting structure such as a wooden framework, it

is desirable to use staples. However, staples heretofore available have been unsuitable for fasteningsat least the thicker grades of tempered hardboard because of the inability of such staples to penetrate the hardboard effi ciently due to buckling of the legs or turning of the legs 2,928,142 Patented Mar. 15, 1960 ice 2 having taperings'ubstantially equal opposite sides which respectively merge with the contiguous flat faces of the legs and are of about 30 taper relative to said faces, the staple being especially adapted for adherence in a stick of like staples to be driven forcibly one at a time from a staple driving machine with each knife edge terminal entering penetrating-point-first and chopping through the material into which driven and thenbecoming fully embedded retainingly therein, the diagonal disposition of the knife edge terminals and the substantially equal tapering sides thereof effecting respectively opposite controlled slightly arcuate bending and generally slight walking-like divergence of the legs from the opposite staple-plane faces when driven to fully embedded depth in hard or. soft wood or the like.

Other objects, vfeatures and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in

which Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a plurality of narrow crown staples embodying the invention disposed in contiguous adhered or stic form;

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of one of the staples, such as" the firstv staple in a stick, as though looking towardthe right in Fig. 1;

penetrateefliciently through tempered hardboard or the like. A further object of the invention is to provide a novel staple tip structure which will assure effective multiangular divergence of the staple legs during penetration into the members to be fastened together.

According to the general features of this invention, there is provided a staple having a body-made from predetermined gauge wire and of a cross-section uniformly slightly out of round and-provided with opposite generally flattened parallelfaces and intervening opposite rounded faces, said body comprising a crown. and a pair of substantially parallel legs in a U-form' relation and providing opposite staple-plane faces, said legs being of a length at least two and a half times the inside dimension of the crown and at least about fifteen times greater than said predetermined gauge, said rounded body faces of the legs being in the staple-plane faces and said flattened body faces of the legs being on the inner and outer sides of the respective staple legs, said legs being of silflicient length and of smallenough cross-section to enable arcuate bending thereof in the direction of said rounded body faces of the legs "and out of said staple-.

plane faces, and diagonal substantially knife edge penetrating terminals on said legs disposed substantially'on the axis of each respective leg and in each instance running out atthe respective rounded oppositestaple-plane faces, said knife edge terminalsbeing angled divergently relative to one another, the diagonal angle of each of the knife edge terminals being about 25 and not less than 19 nor more than 31 to a plane'normal to the y axes of the legs and in each instance providing a sharp penetrating point at the extreme tip of the leg where the edge of the terminal runs out at the respective rounded face of the leg, said knife edge terminals being substantially parallel to said flat faces of the legs and each Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view through a temperedhardboard and wooden support showing one of the staples driven into securing relation therein; and

'Figure 4-is a sectional view taken substantially on the line IVIV of Fig. 3-, but in some respects more or less schematic for purpose'of better illustrating the staple.

A's shown in Fig. 1 a plurality of staples S embodying the invention are disposed in contiguous, coextensive relation adhered together as is customary with such staples so that they are supplied in stick form facilitating hand-ling .of a substantial number thereof for packing and for assembly orfeeding, into a driving machine. Each of the I staples 5 is of the narrow crown type having a narrow crown 7 and a pair of substantially elongated parallel legs 8 extending from opposite ends of the crown and of a length at leasttwo'and a' half times the insidedimension of thecrown, that is, the distance the crown extends oniits inner or underside between the staple legs. Ir a preferred, form,'the"staples' 5 are made from suitable heavy gauge wire such as a soft steel wirewhich may be generally round incross-section but which preferably has the opposite, that is the inner and'outer SidesQt'h eIeof provided with longitudinal parallel fiat faces 9. By reason :of the flattened cross-sectional shape the staple legs are'thus of major dimension in a front. to rear direc tion, as bestvisualized on comparisonofi Figs. 1 and 2, According to the present invention, the staples Sfare especially constructed to equip the same for efficiently securing a hard penetrable member such as a tempered hardboard panel 10 to a supporting structuresuch as a regular wooden frame member 11. To this end, each of the staple legs 8 is provided with amulti-angular pene: trating tip 12. In each instance the tip 12 comprises a substantially knife edge 13 defined by tapering the leg tip both from thevouter side and from the inner side toward the edge 13 to provide substantially equal. op; posite sides which respectively merge with the contiguous flat faces 9 of the'legs and are of about 30 taper relative to such faces, as shown in Fig. 2.

In addition, and of the utmost importance, each of I larity isabout 25 to a plane normal to the axis of, 1 1th slopetoward the 'front-face of'the staple; so "that when t viewed from the side, the edges 13appear in' crossing "relation as bestseen in Fig. 1.

.As a result of the ;novel construction of :the staple leg tips, they -willpenetrate the tempered hardboard'10 rwith an-eificient-chopping, severing action and will guide -themselves through thehar'dboard and into and through the-supporting member 11 into whichthey'become embedded in an efficient,-mutually-cooperative multi-anguiar anchoring relationship. In each instancethe staple leg-tip 12 by virtue of the sharp terminal point thereon effectively penetrates the hardboard'and the angular'knifeedge 13 follows the point with anlincisingkaction.

"Figures 3 and 4 illustrate on an enlarged scale the results where-the staple-Sis made from approximatelyjl8 gauge soft'steel wire andthe hardboard "10 is of approximately inch thickness. Due to the great hardness of theboard .19, there is aninitial tendency for the staple legs-to converge byreason of normal slight 'toeing-in of the staple legs in the driving machine. However,.i. this tendency is overcome by-the uiding action of the pene- 'trating :point and the -rnulti-angular convergingtapering faces of the staple leg tips leading-tothe knife edgei513, so'that'at -least after the staple legs leave 'the'thardhoard "1'0 and enter-the'supporting member 11 thc'ytendpto too out and move sideways away from one-another. .I'he

observed result is thus as seen in Fig. .3 when looking toward one face of the-staple 5 after it has been set into the work, wherein the legs t, have asumed a :slightly bowed-'in'intermediate relation but are spread apart toward their 'tip'terminals to a greater extent-than the width of the crown 7.

At the sametime, having reference to Fig. 4, by virtue of the respective leg tips 12 and the slight divergentjbias afforded ,by'the multi-angular converging tapering knifeedge faces tapering not only toward the pointlbut also sloping .slightly convergently .toward one another and "awayfrom the'point, the legs 8 have a substantial respec- "tively opposite or diverging movement into the fastened members, respectively forwardly and rearwardly relative to the staple faces, which maybe likened to a walking effect. It will be observed that this controlled direction of penetration of the respective staple legs 8 as effected by reason of the novel construction of the staple "leg tips 12, starts virtually as, soon as "thetips 12 enter the hardboard -10-and continues until the staple legs have become fully embedded in'the work. Asa result of the controlled multi-divergent relation of the staple legsB in "the .ultimate'fastening relationship in the WOI'k, which may be likened to a mild tendency, to fishhookf'extremely resistant anchorage is attained'in the support member 11. These-results are assured Where, among other proportions already mentioned, the length of the staple legs-is at' least aboutfifteen time's greaterthan the predetermined gangeof-thestaple body.

"It will .beunderstood that modifications and variations may ,beeffected without departing ,from the scope of the novel'poncepts'of thepresent invention.

LI claimas ,myinvention;

&

1. A staple having a body made from predetermined gauge'wireand'of a cross-section uniformly slightlyout of round and provided with-opposite generally flattened parallel faces and intervening opposite rounded faces, said body comprising a crown and a pair, of substantially parallel legs in U-forrn relation and providing opposite staple-plane faces, said legsbeing of a length at least two and a half times the inside dimension of the crown and at least about fifteen times greater than said predetermined gauge, said rounded body faces of the legs being in the staple-plane faces and said flattened body faces ofthe legszbeing on the inner and outer sides of the respective Istaple legs, said legs being of suflicient length'and'of'small enough cross-section to enable arcuate bending thereof in the directiontof said rounded body faces of the legs and out of said staple-plane faces, and diagonal substantially knife edge penetrating terminals on said legs disposed substantially on the axis of each respectivedeg-and in each instance running out at the respective rounde'd opposite staple-plane faces, said knifeedge terminals being angled divergently relative to one another, the diagonal angle of each of the knife edge terminals being about 25 and not less than 19 nor -morethan "31' toa'plane normal to the-axes of the legs and in each instance providing a *sharp penetrating -point-at theextreme'tip'ofthe leg where the edge'of the terminal runs out at the respective rounded face-of-the leg, said knifeedge terminals being substantially parallel about30 taper relative 'to said faces, the staple being especially adapted for adherence in a stick of like staples to be driven forcibly oneat a time from a stapledriving machine with each knife edge terminal entering penetrating-point-first and chopping through the material into which driven and then-becoming fully embedded retainingly therein, the diagonal disposition of .theknife edge terminals and the substantially equal taperingsides-thereof elfecting respectively opposite controlled slightly arcuate bending and generally slight Walking-like divergence ofthe legs from the opposite staple-plane faces when driven to fully embedded depth in hard orsoft wood or the like.

2. A staple as defined inclaim l wherein said predetermined gauge wire of the body comprises 18 gauge.

3. A staple as defined in claim 1 wherein the wire body comprises 'soft steel wire.

-4. A staple as d'efined in claim 1, combined with a 'hardboard panelsecured in assembly by the staple to a wooden supporting base, the staple legs 'being fully embedded in the assembly by extending through the hardboard-panel and-penetrating 'to depth in the wooden sup porting base.

References Cited in the fileof this patent UNITED "STATES PATENTS 19,747 Boardman Mar. 30, 1858 208,688 .Miles 7 Oct. '8, 1878 327,339 Squire Sept. ,29, 1885 ,.l ,,l,63,140 Girard Dec. '7, 1915 1,761,119 Gouldbourn June 3, 1930 2 ,261,734 Ricks Nov. 4, 1941 2,351,608 Greenwood 'June20, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS V v20,126 Great Britain Sept. '9, '1-907 

